Audinate Dante

[Murton]

I'm not sure if anyone has heard of this upcoming technology in regards to audio networking, but Yamaha have released a YGDAI Expansion Dante card which brings a whole lot of new possibilities concerning audio networking in digital multicore and digital multitrack applications.

The special thing about the Dante protocol is that is uses a standard IP based network and will travel alongside normal IP traffic. Add this to the ability to turn a standard lan card into an audio interface when using the companies DVS software virtual soundcard, of which you get a license with the purchase of the new MY16-AUD card.

Applications include hooking up dante cards into a Yamaha digital console for audio transfer between FOH and Monitors, using the monitor head amps. Aswell as putting a standard computer into the network for full multitrack audio. If you know a show if using a yamaha console with free slots, you can load it up with Dante cards, hook up your laptop and do a full multitrack recording if you trust the preamps and gain that the FOh engineer or monitors engineer uses.

You can also use I/O on devices on the network, so the I/O of the computer can be used on the network, so a very inexpensive digital multicore right there. If you have a AD/DA and remote pre's there is your digital snake, networking in multi station studios, large roll outs such as airports, casinos, hotels etc etc, you can plug a mic into a computer anywhere on the network and have it outputting at the main mixer somewhere else on the network, all with minimal network setup as Dante auto configures depending on the network. it also includes a redundant feature for primary and secondary feeds when using a managed switch which half's the available bandwidth but gives full redundancy.

Here's th website containing some information:

Yamaha Commercial Audio | Yamaha Commercial Audio to distribute Audinate Dante – MY16-AUD Card

The Audinate website is quite small on details. They are based in Sydney, Australia and license the technology to companies, so expect to see a lot more products come out on the market as this protocol completely and utterly destroys existing protocols like EtherSound. It is said to be sample accurate, can carry clock signal and has little to no latency. If this technology takes off, digital audio networking got a whole lot more expandable, cheaper and useful, if you can run AVS software on computers, you straight away have full multitrack audio transfer over network.

[Remoteness]

Very cool stuff!
Do you know if they will be showing this in action at the NYC AES?

[tysonviolin]

This technology is changing everything as far as audio delivery goes.

[Murton]

Not sure Steve, but they were at the Sydney Intergrate show, so maybe Yamaha may show it at AES seeing as how the product is out and they are distributing it for Audinate. I should have a card in my posession hopefully soon.